6 relatives of Andhra Pradesh Mummidivaram MLA die in car accident in US

Amalapuram: Six people hailing from Amalapuram town in Andhra Pradesh's Konaseema district, who are relatives of Mummidivaram MLA P Venkata Satish Kumar, died in a car accident in Texas, USA on Tuesday evening local time.

The victims were identified as P Nageshwar Rao, Seetha Mahalakshmi, Naveena, Kruthik, Nishitha and another person, who is also a relative of the family.

Seven people were travelling in the car when it collided head-on with a truck having two occupants on Highway 67, farm to market road in Cleburne city in Texas. The sole survivor in the car, Lokesh, has been airlifted to a hospital where is undergoing treatment, but is said to be critical, the MLA said.

US media reports, without revealing names of those involved in the accident, said there were two occupants in the truck who are also injured and have been hospitalised. The reports also quoted local police authorities as saying that the truck was at fault.

"My uncle, aunt, their daughter, two grandchildren and another relative died in the accident when a 17-year-old American boy came in a truck and hit their car," Kumar told PTI on Wednesday. The accident occurred at 4pm on Tuesday, according to American time and six relatives died on the spot, he added.

The group had gone to their relative Vishal's house in Texas for the Christmas holidays, travelling from Atlanta in Georgia state. They visited a zoo park and were returning, when the tragedy struck, Kumar said.

According to the MLA, the Telugu Association of North America (TANA) is extending assistance to repatriate the bodies of the six deceased persons.

Kumar, who is also a resident of Amalapuram, said Nageshwar Rao was his father P Satya Rao's younger brother. Nageshwar Rao's daughter, who also died in the accident, was a resident of Atlanta.

Kumar is a two-time MLA who is now a member of the ruling YSRCP in Andhra Pradesh.